Moving - Sacramento, CA

I see you have many responses. Here is a great web site you can use for homeschool or afterschool.
http://www.time4learning.com/
I have homeschooled and used school. My children are now in a small charter and we like it.
S.

K12 Academy is AWESOME! I looked at several of the sample lesson plans, and they're great. Their website is k12.com. Enjoy whatever you decide, but know that homeschooling does NOT equal no social skills!

Definately look into the school and the test scores/services provided. I grew up in Lockwood CA (pop ~268) and there were only 32 kids in my 8th grade class. Most of us went on to HS in advanced classes and then on to college. The pros of a smaller school are smaller class sizes and more individual attention. The cons: they can be a little slower than a "big" school.

I love the town I grew up in and went to school with the same kids for most of my life. Today, I am in touch with probably 10-15 kids I have known since I was 5 or 6! You can always supplement what she is doing at home with workbooks (my daughter attends a private school in San Jose and we still do workbooks at home to supplement)

Hi Kimberly. I'm a homeschooling mom. I'm not sure where you are moving to, but if you go to http://californiahomeschool.net/about/localContacts.htm you can find someone in the county in which you are moving to. They can help you find plenty of homeschooling support.

If your only reason for not homeschooling her is socialization, then please do more research. There are so many ways to find socialization - classes through the rec department, 4-H, girl scouts, weekend outings, dance classes, art classes, homeschool park days, field trips, etc. Socialization is so much more than a child spending a lot of their time with children their own age. Think about it this way, children go through all of their school years mainly with people their own age. Then they graduate high school and are expected to be socially proficient and able to easily handle social situations involving all ages, races, religions, etc. Generally speaking, homeschoolers are very active in their community. Children who are homeschooled generally learn from an early age how to act within real life situations, a variety of people, and respect differences in all. I did qualify my last statements with "generally" because there are always those that do not fit within the average.

There are different ways of homeschooling - making yourself your own private school and using a charter school are the two most common. Here's a web site to help find charter schools in your area http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/si/cs/ap1/imagemap.aspx. Make sure you ask any charter that you call that they are homeschool based.

I hope this helps. Please free to e-mail me if you need to.

How small of a town are you talking about? If it is a really small town, chances are the class sizes will be smaller. This is a real bonus as your daughter will get more one on one time with the teacher. I wouldn't be too concerned with home schooling, just be ready to help tutor with areas that she may be weak in. As a teacher, I caution you against pushing your daughter to the head of her class. Often the kids that are in trouble the most are the smartest ones. They get bored and get in trouble.
If I was going to "push" any part of education on my child I would encourage them to LOVE reading. I started out in a two room school with 24 kids that gave me a good solid foundation in reading. I have always loved to read and throughout school always had a book handy to read when I finished any of my other assignments. This habit may also be dependent on personallity, though. I will have to see as my 4 year old son seems interested in books and learning to read but is also a social butterfly.

I recommend being highly involved in your child's school. Most Kindergarten teachers welcome parent help, and you could volunteer one or two mornings a week. Just be ready to do 'busy' work like cutting out things for the teacher, etc. But you also will likely get to help individual children with the work assigned. By doing this, you know first hand what and how your daughter is being taught. You also develop a relationship with the teacher. There have been studies showing that children whose parents volunteer at their school tend to do better. This may be because the school personel subconsciously treat those children better, but whatever the reason, I think it's worthwhile to be part of their school. I think most schools today, because of all the problems we've seen in recent years, require you to go through some degree of fingerprinting, background check, etc. to be able to volunteer, but even that is worth the time and effort, and possible out of pocket cost. Some of that might even be easier for you because of your husband's job.
In regard to what you can do outside of the school. You've received a lot of good advice already.. and I do think the "on hands" type of things rather than paperwork are best, though you may want to have some good paperwork available in case your daughter wants to do it. You can find a lot of good things online too. Schoolexpress.com is a good site for ideas. Also, if you subscribe to Mailbox magazine for around $30 a year, you get six issues of great ideas in magazine form, plus you get access to online helps to go along with the magazine. I've found most of my online materials by typing "preschool curriculum" in my search engine (since I work mostly with preschoolers), but much of what I find with that search is great material to use with a kindergartner too. You might try the same search using "kindergarten curriculum".
The main thing you want to do is to be aware of what your child is learning, and encourage her and guide her to explore and try out new areas of learning.

I have a 4 1/2 year old and one year old boys. I'm sending my very smart and sensitive boy to public school later this year for the same reason. I was scared to because some of the negative things they learn - bad behaviour. You are already "homeschooling" in your everyday life. You are teaching them to read, write, be kind, cook, clean, and so forth. I plan to take my sons schooling and just expand on that. While we are doing "homework" I will just extend the information. You can type "supplemental homeschooling" into your browser though and get great ideas. Best of luck with the new house and all. I too live in a small coastal town with one school and no private schools. Oh well...

Hi Kimberly,

Wikipedia says: Maturity = " Maturity is a physchological term used to indicate that a person responds to cercumstances and environment in an appropriate manner. It is generally learned rather than instinctual."

I have been homeschooling for 7 years,... kids 12, 8, and 6.

My children have never stepped foot on a public school compound, and contrary to what Lindsey, one of the moms on here said, my kids are more mature than the public schooled kids in the neighborhood. And they should be, they have mature role models (me and my husband), instead of other immature children to emulate.

At park dates with others, or here at home with their siblings, they can interact with others and I can instruct them on wise choices and guide their behavior. Isn't that what socialization for a young child should be about? Not having them subject to "pack" mentality and hoping, that somehow, they surive and choose the right choice out there all alone. I know there are some caring teachers out there, but they can't be everywhere at one time when they have 40 kids to watch. It's hard enough staying on top of situations with just three! A teacher in a schoolyard can break up a squabble and send the kids on their way, but here at home I can take the time to coach my children with words of wisdom and examples. I can encourage them to forgive and pray for those who hurt them and to be compassionate. And that takes time!Too much time for it to happen in a school compound. No one will EVER be as emotionally involved with your child the way you will.

Let's look at the quality of public school socialization vs. homeschool scocialization: In the public school, peer relationships are shallow and uncertain. The atmosphere is cool and competitive. Family is not a factor.
In homeschool, family relationships are stable and close. The atmosphere is warm and non-competitive. Peer relationships are incorporated into the family.

Lets look at values: In public school, one's conservative values are in conflict with the secular, more liberal values held by the schools. The child could be ridiculed for having a different value system than that of the pack, and most often, persueded into embracing the values of others. In homeschool, your values are taught, modeled, and reinforced without any conlict. This is especially important as they come closer into the teen years and sexuality.

Socially speaking, a homeschooling environment will provide you with a superior outcome. Not to mention PEACE- peace in your home. There won't be such a battle of wills and different opinions all the time with your teens- they will be on the same page as you are.

My children amaze me. And it's not because I am an amazing teacher. NO! Not at all!I floundered so much in the first few years. It's because they have had the ability to bloom into what God designed them to be. The boy behind us is 6 months younger that my son, but people think my son is 2-3 years older, emotionally speaking. My son has the most beautiful writing. Because he started with cursive instead of manuscript he can avoid spending years of cursive practice and spend that time reading the rocket, car and train technical manuals he likes so much. He is calm and thoughtful.He helps his younger sister with such tenderness, he will be a fine father someday. He picks flowers for the other moms when we are going on a playdate. He gave up his ice cream for his sister, on his own prompt, when hers fell on the floor. He likes to help me with my shoveling in the garden. My 12 yr old daughter just won the caldecott drawing medal for her bird drawings for the 2nd year in a row. She put her micro nature photos on Flicker (and hopes to print them into greeting cards), and started her own 'business' raking lawns for the neighbors at 10. She now has a business selling eggs from her chickens that she tends by herself. She keeps her own record books, returns clients phone calls, takes orders, and keeps a bank account.
She has had the leading roles in the plays at church and solos in the chior for several years in a row. She can cook a meal for her siblings if need be. She is starting on her 10th journal, she loves to write. She has 3 or 4 books she is reading at any one time.(she has the time to do all these things because she's not doing 4 hours of homework every night.) In a few years, like any homeschooler, she can take courses at the local junior college, and while she is getting high school credit, she will earn college credit at the same time. She can apply those to her colledge years and potentially graduate from college 2 years early.

Here's what you need to get started for the early years:

*Freedom for the child ask questions
*Get excited about learning.
*Express interest and excitement in THEIR interests.
*READ, READ, READ, alound to them daily. Go to the library often and let them pick on some books.
*TALK, TALK, TALK, about everything. Count everything.
*Show them how you do your chores and cook, and have them help. Start young. (You are training future spouses and parents.)

Homeschool curriculum I would recommend:

*Start letter formation with "CURSIVE FIRST". Usually anywhere between 5 and a half to 6 and a half years old. If it is too stressful for them, wait and come back to it in 6 months. Start with a shoe box of 1/4 inch layer of salt (with a black paper glued into the bottom of it). Have her form her letters in the salt. Once mastered, then move on to paper. Be dilligent about the way the child sits in the chair, holds the pencil, and tilts the paper(the guidelines are in the book) Once bad habits start, its Hard to break them.

* SPELL TO WRITE AND READ, by Wanda Sanseri is a superior program to most others out there for learning to read and to spell. It can be started at the same time as the curriculum above. I used a whiteboard to remind/show my child of letter formation as we went along in her spelling journal.
Back Home Industries (online)carries it, they have a host of products but to get started all you need is:

The Wise Guide for spelling
the Spell to Write And Read teachers manual
a student journal
the spelling rule cards
the phonogram cards
the CD of the sounds (optional).
Once you buy these items, you are set for reading and spelling instruction all the way through high school. Every year you buy a new spelling journal for them (about 6 bucks) that's it. Considering it spans all those years, it's very economical.

For math, these are good curriculums and can be found online:
Math U See
Saxon Math
Abeka
Singapore Math

Lots of painting, drawing, coloring! also for art workbooks I recommend:

ABEKA -ART PROJECTS 1
KUMON -MY BOOK OF PASTING (Barnes and Noble or Borders)
KUMON- MY BOOK OF EASY CRAFTS
"DRAW WRITE NOW" is fun for 2nd - 4rd grades.

For science- get books from the library about nature, animals and bugs! Explore in the yard OFTEN. look for new creatures. Jar your specimens and look them up online. Find out what they eat, and what eats them. Start a nature journal.Have the child draw pictures of the things she's found. or take photos ( on macro setting) of the bug and paste it in the journal. Have her put some facts in too (once she is old enough to write.)You can glue feathers in to it, bug legs, etc. We did this for my eldest when she was young and she became well known in the homeschool group for her entemology skills. It was her passion for a long time.

Put an ad in the local paper where you move it, asking to form a homschool playgroup. You will find others with like interests.

Having your daughter go to the local school may be really good for you. It will be a good way for you to meet people in your new community. I lived in my current neighborhood since my daughter was born, but I was suprised at how many new people I met once she started kindergarten.

Although my daughter has always gone to public school (now in the 10th grade) she claims that she has learned more from us (her parents) than school. Her schools are great -- but we make sure we go out to museums, historical parks, libraries, etc. We read books (and the comics) together every night (yes -- even at age 16). The best thing we have taught her is the motivation to learn.

My neighbors homeschooled their children, and they turned out fine. But I think parents can still be very involved in their childrens education even if they attend school.

Attending school has given her that "hidden" curriculum --learning how to get along with people who aren't necessarily her friends; learing how to deal with different teachers (evetually good in dealing with different bosses); learning how to work in groups, etc. These are the skills we all need eventually to tranistion to adulthood.

What ever your decision is, you can make it work!

I think I would do some other checking around before I took this step. I live in the Bay Area right now, but I've been a country gal most of my life...and many, if not most, rural areas and small towns have homeschoolers' groups these days, often set up just for the purpose of socialization. I would ask around your new town/county (may be set up on a county level), and get hooked up with them.

You have had a lot of good advice for resources and things to consider in your decision making. What prompts my response is the assumption by a few people that a small town= small class sizes. Where I live in Willows, CA, there is one elementary school (plus a home school charter) and they are eliminating Class Size Reduction for next year. Kindergarten classes will probably have 28-32 kids per class; 4th grade may get as high as 40. You can call your prospective district to get the scoop on class size if that is an issue for you. Also, some rural communities do not have many (if any) recreation/enrichment/extra activities for young kids.

Best of luck in your move! I hope it goes smoothly.

Look up the California Virtual Academies on line at http://www.k12.com/cava . The curriculum is amazing, the program is easy to use, you work at a pace that works for your child and there are a lot of opportunities for getting together with other families using CAVA. We gather once a month for outings and regularly meet with a teacher, who is always available for help and advice. We've been using this program in our family since my daughter started kindergarten (she's now finishing the fourth grade). My son is in the first grade and is excelling in courses a year above his grade level. When our third child starts kindergarten in a year we will be enrolling her as well. The kids love their school and I feel they are achieving well above the level the would be at in a traditional public school setting. The teachers are credentialed and it's an accredited school. I can't recommend this program enough!

This year we started our children in the CAVA program through K-12 schools. It is a virtual public school on line and it has been wonderfl!!! It is better than the actual home school programs because the kids and the parents have more support and actual teachers to fall back on. My kids are doing great and we will probably never go back to a traditional school. Check it out!

Hi K.,

I was thinking on doing the same things with my daughter when she reaches that age only because she has a mild form of ADD and i thing it would be a challenge for her to hit the school and have the teachers try to understand her, but If you were to do the homeschooling- i would recommend that if you would do straight homeschool, you try to have her enrolled in any type of dance or activity classes, during the summer and things like that if they ae available in your town. that is what i'm considering for my daughter only because i want her to have the good education and at the same time want her to socialize in the real world. she will be able to have the academic schooling and have the time to socialize too. Just an idea. good luck
~M.

Before making a solid decision I would look into the school she would be going to. Talk to the teachers and principals. See what their projected class sizes are. Get a feel for the school and the town.

All 3 of my kids are public school kids who consistently score as advanced students on their STAR testing. All 3 are very bright, very social and well educated. Part of that is the teachers they've had .. part of that has been MY involvement in their schooling.

I helped out in classes, chaperoned field trips, helped with parties and got to know their teachers VERY well. And all this with a child with special needs.

If you do decide to homeschool there are plenty of options for socialization skills to be learned. sports, dance, play groups, clubs etc etc.

Weigh all your options and don't discount a public school education just because it's public.

None of the options are perfect .. all have their pros and cons. But the more involved YOU are and the more emphasis YOU put on making sure she's getting what she needs without being pushed too hard then it'll all work out.

Wow, for a minute there I thought I wrote this request. We are moving out of state to a VERY small town in Nebraska. We currently homeschool using South Sutter Charter School, but Nebraska doesn't have charter schools so I would be on my own if I decide to continue homeschooling.
I decided to wait until I get there to make a decision. I will meet with the principal and teachers and talk to them about my family's Christian values and our homeschooling experience. I will express my concerns about public school and see what they say. If they are standoffish or do not give me answers I feel comfortable with I will continue to homeschool.
I would recommend the A Beka curriculum. They have a DVD program that is wonderful and acts like a classroom. For socialization my children have church and church activities, I also enroll them in different classes (drums, drama, dance, etc.) I have found that those environments are more like "real life" and allow my boys to pick their friends rather that being caught up in social politics that happens in school.
Listen to your gut (or the Holy Ghost) and you will make the right decision. God bless.

check out the website iknowthat.com. it's a wonderful website that is used in schools. I think "supplementing" her education at home is a great idea and you can make it fun so it doesn't seem like "school" and she won't get overwhelmed. Any time on the computer, even on game websites, will help her because she will need to read. My granddaughter started using the computer at age 5. Because she needed to know who to read certain words to navigate the website, she began to read early. It's a great educational tool if used correctly!

I just wanted to give further encouragement for homeschooling. My friend did it with her children for a number of years. It benefitted them greatly!!! She was connected to a homeschooling program in Fremont and a number of homeschoolers created their own little social circle. It allowed her the freedom to teach them from various settings in nature and have them learn more experientially. Her son has dyslexia and was struggling terribly in public school. She got him not only caught up, but he surpassed his grade in a few years. Her kids are now young adults and are incredibly bright mature people who have been successful at what they set out to achieve thus far.

Although kindergarten is not supposed to be academic, it is. In fact, public school run preschools are academic as well, at least where my kids went in Union City and Hayward. My kids struggled with public school's "No Child Left Behind" run curriculum that leaves many children behind and many teachers utterly frustrated. My daughter's kindergarten teacher who had been teaching since before I was in kindergarten told me that what used to be 1st grade material is now kindergarten material. They are pushing the kids beyond their developmental means often times. ALL of the public school teachers my kids had had the same lament. As soon as I was able I got my kids into a Waldorf school.

There are many ways to socialize children, school is only one way. Connect with whatever community there is where you live and find a group you feel good about for your daughter and you to be part of. Good luck!!!

Hi K.,
I think a lot depends on your concept of education. Children learn in so many different ways, and schools usually teach to one or two learning styles and the kids who don't fit in usually get left out. There are excellent books on Learning Styles, and how to tell what your child does best with. If your child learns in a more kinestic fashion it means they have difficulty sitting still and almost can't learn if they can't be moving. Some schools are catching onto this and actually building desks that are taller and have a rocking foot type thing because they are noticing that it can help children with concentration.
If you overwhelm your daughter with paperwork... what we would normally think of as "schooling" you run the risk of her losing her creativity and excitement about learning. There are wonderful organizations like 4H that teach kids all kinds of practical things in real life ways. There are many avenues of enrichment, and your daughter is very blessed to have a mommy who is looking for the very best, and willing to step outside the box to find it.
Just a few thoughts from a former homeschooling mom.

Hi K.,
The standards are online. You might want to print them out. Every time you work on one of them, highlight it to help you keep track. Lakeshore has many good books for teachers and of course, worksheets as well. You don't really need them though-you can make a lot of games, etc. with index cards and the like. I bought a book called The New Kindergarten (as I remember). It has many good forms to reuse, for example a Story Map to fill in after reading a book with a space for the characters, the setting, the problem, etc. The standards are key, though. You can do things inexpensively if you understand the standards and compile some good children's literature and get some or write some phonetic books. For example: Ben the Hen, Nat at Bat, etc. Read, the sounds, b add en, then Ben.
Best,
G.

For Kinder phonics and reading, our children supplement at home with Starfall.com. They also have printed material you can buy, but you can print MOST of it.

My daughter loved this site in K and now in 2nd I see her go there once in a while too.

As other said, get her out and about doing, not sitting at a table or desk all afternoon.

Stephanie

Hello Kimberly: I have been a child advocate for Special Education Families for 26+ years, the mother of 5 and the grandmother of 5, ( one is also a deputy sheriff). I am happy that you are going to send your child to school. I can also tell you that reading to and with your child everyday is powerful. My son and daughter in law read daily to their little one and are teaching her a different language as well( both Sign ASL and Spanish) and she is only pre school age. My daughter has her family read scriptures together every night before bed and they take turns even the 3 year old they may only get 3 verses read but they all enjoy it. I was taught when our older children went to school to have a word of the day. I could post it (generally in the car) and we could have the word, definition and ways to use it. This teaches language, spelling, sounds and the power of words. You can also go to the web site for education for your state and download math, science, english and anything else you need. There are so many computer skills that are positive to use as well. Just because a child is in the classroom learning doesn't mean that you can't make it just as wonderful to open up the world for your children from your home. It will create memories and funny moments to talk about for years to come. My kids can't wait til they see me doing pudding finger painting with the little ones because none of them are crazy enough to do it at their houses I am told. I hope you have fun in this great adventure of parenthood, and that your husband stays safe.
You are in my thoughts, Nana G.

depending on the teacher...she may receive homework. I prefer a more inquiry based learning and child led study with teacher facilitation and you and she can create this at home..projects....teacher may also suggest projects..

I would avoid too much pencil and paper at this age. Continue to use a lot of art, colored markers..free draw, her tell you what to write in a journal, later she can write but make sure it comes at her developmental pace so you are not frustrated, either of you.

Being bright..curious and ready often come in different intervals

If you really want to homeschool, just go for it. You can make sure you daughter gets her socialization in other ways (sports, dance, gymnastics, play groups, etc.). You can also see if there area any families in your area who are involved with a "group type" homeschooling. That type of situation helps for getting some socialization, as well as getting support from other parents in the teaching process.

There is a homeschool program that I was considering. It is still considered a public school. They send you a computer with access only to their website. They do have scheduled social events so you can meet others in the same program. You can also just buy materials and not enroll, since your daughter will be in school. We also use star fall for our daughter and she likes it a lot. She will start kindergarten this fall and she is already reading and doing first grade math. She did go to preschool, but we kept her out of preK, the curriculum was the same. We keep her home and work with her. She is also involved in sports and dance classes.

www.k12.com

My daughter and I both homeschooled our kids. We used Calvert School in Baltimore, Maryland. It was terrific and very much ahead of the regular schools. It is not cheap, but you can pick an choose what you want to use. Look them up on the net and see what you think.

It depends where you are going...I work for a charter school that supports families that Homeschool- we are in many counties in CA. We provide materials and arrange classes/field trips for our students.

check out IEM.org

Good luck!

The state of CA has a program called K-12 Academy (I think) I found it just by googling home school curriculum. It is free if you enroll your child to be home-schooled and they mail you the stuff you need. If you choose to use it as supplemental tools then there is a cost - but it's very affordable. I was looking for home pre-school materials so I didn't sign up - but it sounded like a great program. Try Googling Kidergarten Home Schooling CA and see what comes up. If I find the name I'll get back to you - sorry pregnant brain - can't remember anything. ;)

If "socialization" is your only reason to not homeschool you might find this article persuasive:

http://school.familyeducation.com/home-schooling/human-re...

After a week in preschool, my sensitive daughter had been "socialized" to hit, kick, argue and sulk. That's what the other kids were doing and she learned the lesson thoroughly. Needless to say we removed her from that environment and are now homeschooling! Kids best learn proper socialization from adults, who can control their impulses and role model appropriate handling of emotions (on a good day!) ;). It's obvious when you think about it.

The socialization that schools attempt is different from socializing, which I think is what you seek for your daughter. Socialization is conforming to a norm. Socializing is having fun with friends. How many times did you hear in school (if you attended public school at least, as I did) "Class, we're not here to socialize!"

Congrats on new baby and good luck!
J.

My kids go to Carden School, and I went there myself as a child. I think it's far and away the best educational method there is (their test scores are consistently WAY above average, even though they absolutely refuse to "teach to the test"). Anyhow, I mention this because they have their method available for home-schooling families as well. Check out their website: www.cardenschool.org.

The internet is full of fun idea's and free printable work sheets. But I really think to give her a well rounded kindergarten experience would be for you to get her out exploring nature , the community you live in. Trips to the library, museum, local nursing home. Go have fun sharing these very important experiences she can't have in the classroom and she'll flurish socially and academically. My daughter learned to write her ABC's in the sand with waves crashing and birds flying over head before on paper. Enjoy this year.